Density functional simulations of hexagonal Ge_{2}Sb_{2}Te_{5} at high pressure

We investigated the structural transformations of the hexagonal phase of Ge2Sb2Te5 under pressure by means of ab initio molecular dynamics with a variable simulation cell. To overcome the enthalpy barriers between the different phases we used metadynamics techniques. We reproduced the hexagonal-to-bcc transformation under pressure found experimentally. The bcc phase retains a partial chemical order, as opposed to a second bcc phase we generated by pressuring the amorphous phase. This structural difference is suggested to be responsible for the memory effect uncovered experimentally, the bcc phase reverting to the amorphous or to the hexagonal phase upon decompression, depending on the type of precursor phase it originates from.